Time Passes Us By
by myqueenofall
Summary: Maleficent remember the moments she shared with Regina from the day they first met 'til she sees her again in Granny's Diner.


English is not my language so forgive me any mistakes.

TW: Light mentions of child abuse and rape

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Pathetic is the first word that came to her mind when that girl showed up at her castle holding on a book as if her life was depending on it. Perhaps it was, given that she had just walked into a dragon's lair unarmed and with a sad excuse of a power. So you see, for her now the girl wasn't just pathetic but also stupid, and yes you could even say a bit brave. The kind of dumb bravery that made Maleficent spare her a few moments of her day.

It's not as if the sorceress had anything better to do, anything at all to fill her empty and meaningless life. So yeah, a little of bit of fun was always welcomed, especially given she was already too far gone in the effects of her own drug to even care to keep up the appearances. She was simply lost in a sea of despair, without her magic, a reason to keep moving forward or to keep breathing at all.

Maybe she was the pathetic one after all.

If you put it that way nobody can blame her for letting the young girl in and making her day out of it. Or month, who was she trying to fool after all. Brier may have been just a human, and perhaps she never hurt her physically but that does not mean she hasn't left a mark. Because she did, and Maleficent never thought she would be able to heal from it ever again. She never thought she would be whole again. But she was wrong.

So she opened her door and let her in, the closer the girl got the more delicious she became. Damn! She just loves a new toy to play with. She asked the intruder to light the fireplace and the little spark came to life in that tiny human's hands was priceless, all she wanted to do was laugh at how utterly ridiculous this girl was. So this is what they considered power these days? Is clear this child must have never seen a real sorceress in action, not one like her anyway.

Not that it made a difference anymore, after all her fire was long gone.

Many years after that first encounter has gone by and she still can't tell what shift within her, what that little apprentice did to awaken feelings in her dead heart, to awaken something inside her that would somehow bring her fire back. More specific how come she, in such a short time, was enough to lighten the flame in her soul, a flame so bright and so powerful it could burn eternally, and not just in a tree somewhere in a forest.

Perhaps those are questions she will never find answers to.

The girl she had foolishly decided to be another one of her toys ended up becoming a part of her life, a huge one to be honest. Every moment together added more fuel to her soul until the distance became a weight too heavy for her to carry.

With time passed together came knowledge and understanding of the pain the girl forced to be a woman was feeling and all she wanted to do was end that misery.

She heard tales of a true monster disguised as a mother, of disciplinary actions made only to hurt and words that left scars too deep to heal.

A father that was supposed to protect his child against all evil but never once did it. Instead he stayed and watched as she bled from all the abuse she suffered.

Young, true and beautiful love and the pain of losing it. Losing the only thing that was keeping this small human functioning, how cruel it was and how broken it left her.

A child, an obnoxious brat that got all she wanted and never cared for anyone else but herself. Making requests without a second thought to what other people were feeling or the consequences of her actions.

The Dark One and his plans to set her free, feeding the illusion that someday, somehow that day would actually come. But those are lies and she knows it, the pain never ends and darkness only fuels it.

And most importantly the king. To her he was nothing but a repulsive rat, a so called kind man that forced a young woman to marry him, to be his little hoe only because he could, because he was powerful enough to do it, because his daughter asked him to.

Maleficent did the only thing she could think of, she made her apprentice strong.

No, that's wrong.

Regina was stronger than anyone she met in all her years, and she has lived many human lifetimes. The queen was fierce, a true believer, and her fire and will was outstanding and just inspiring. So no, Maleficent didn't make her strong; she only showed her how capable she really was, made her understand the amount of power that run through her veins and how to use to it's full capacity.

The first kiss they shared happened in her garden after a long and tiring lesson involving fire. It always came back to fire with them.

Apparently Regina wanted to wield it like a dragon and that she did, she was a natural. That afternoon when their lips connected Maleficent thought that she was finally feeling magic in its true essence and the swirl of sparks that navigated beneath her skin was a whole new experience. Shy and careful touches followed it and for fear of hurting the queen like that despicable man did; it never went much further than that for a while, even though her body ached for her every time they even looked at each other.

The queen would come by many times and her presence was never missed in the White Castle because the king traveled through his kingdom often to put on a show of how graceful and kind he was and would always take with him only the things that mattered. Meaning, his precious Snow White. One of those days Regina decided to stay in her fortress and that night changed everything for them.

A memory that never fades her mind is the queen saying that she never sleeps, never when he was somewhere he could reach her, always afraid he would come again and force her to please him like all those time he had done it before. That night Maleficent laid in her bed and waited for her little apprentice to make her move, to set the boundaries and when a head full of dark curls rested on her chest she couldn't explain the happiness she felt. A feeling of belonging she never truly felt before.

They slept perfectly still and safe in their embrace and it became a habit, until one day after a heart fluttering kiss Regina looked at her with so much passion and want that she knew what the younger woman wanted and Maleficent just wasn't strong enough to resist her any longer.

Feelings was never something they discussed and the sorceress wanted to show her little apprentice that night just how much love she really felt towards her. She wasn't alone in that because all the words that went unsaid by Regina could be seen clearly through her chocolate colored eyes, and also a tiny bit of fear shining behind the lust. Moving them on the soft cushion of her bed and straddling the queen's hips Maleficent never once broke the intensity of their gaze. She removed her silk ocean blue camisole (the one Regina claims makes her eyes even brighter) and was left bare in front of the woman that stole her heart. When shaky fingertips ghosted along her skin her whole body shivered, every fiber in her being was alight but this night would not be about her pleasure, no tonight she would make sure Regina knew what it felt like to be loved, to be wanted in a way that it didn't hurt.

In a way that would not leave her body and soul bleeding in the end.

Seeing this young woman coming down from her high for the first time, witnessing how completely at ease she was and just how truly free she seemed to be, left Maleficent thinking that all of her problems were solved and that nothing else mattered. What was the reason for hatred when you had that in your arms? Too bad the Queen didn't agree with that.

Try as she might to change the mind of the woman she loved, she couldn't do it. She thought she was capable of it, she carelessly thought that her love would be enough to numb the growing rage inside the woman turning into the evil queen but she was wrong.

Deadly so.

Nights went by and the sweet passion and endless kisses until sleep came for them turned into rough touches and sleepless cold nights. Looking back, her biggest mistake was ignoring the signs, not paying attention to the light that was slowly but surely being devoured by darkness. Her little apprentice had grown into a Queen, a ruthless and heartless one, and it was too late for her to do anything to save her. All she knew is that she failed the one person that had been able to save her and that was too much to bear.

Looking at Regina and not seeing the sweet and determined girl that showed up uninvited to her castle when she was in her darkest days destroyed her. The mere presence of the Evil Queen, like the peasants would so crudely call her, burned her like no fire could ever hope of doing. And with that Maleficent finally understood the true meaning of what was like to be powerless, of trying and not being strong enough to ease the pain of the one who held her heart.

Those last few months together it's still a blur to her. She remembers seeing the last bit of light in those brown orbs being slowed but the darkness and feeling Regina finally slipping through her fingers and going head first into her revenge. The fight in her castle, the prove of how much gone her love truly was, the betrayal not hurting as much as the fear for her lover's soul being tainted forever by the effects of the curse. Finding out she was carrying the queen's child, a little girl created by them and their feelings for each other, killing any doubt she ever had that their love was anything but real and pure. The pain and the misery of having her daughter stolen by that brat and her idiotic prince wanna be, being so helplessly pathetic and once more not being able to defend what was hers. Finally but not less painfully she remembers the despair of watching the curse taking its place, those thick purple clouds taking over the sky and promising nothing but misery to everyone, including its caster.

It all went by too fast; in blink she had lost it all, a second was all it took for her life to be taken from her, ripped out of her fingers like it was nothing, perhaps it truly was.

28 years.

For a dragon, they go by in a blink.

For a grieving mother without her child and her lover, every second of it is torture, just pure madness.

Trapped in that cave all she wanted was misery, the sweet glory of a fast death which is why when a girl showed up with a sword in her hands she let it happen. For 28 years she had been wishing for this moment so when fate brought it to her she only embraced it. Welcomed it even, and it was glorious.

Coming back to life was quite a strange feeling, kind of like when you are starting wake up from a bad dream but you're not awake yet. A rush of mixed feelings, the ones she felt right before she died and numbness. Cruella and Ursula's faces were definitely not something she was expecting either, so you could say it was a shock. Air once more was filling her lungs without her permission but only the news of her daughter being alive and somewhere in this land that Maleficent want to live again.

Leaving the place that had been a prison for her during the curse she found herself in a completely different land with strange objects that came to life with a new type of magic called electricity. A whole new concept and possibilities for a creature of centuries like herself but she would learn how it works, or at least how to live around those things. She would adjust, that's not the issue. No, the real problem is that ever since she came to her senses in that cave all she could feel is her, feel her presence, her magic in every little thing of this town. It was like Regina was right there with her, just one breath away but at the same time unreachable. Rationally she knew it was matter of days until her path would cross with her ex lover but she still wasn't prepared. When all she could see was brown beautiful eyes in front of her, she realized how stupid it was to believe that it would come a day when she would look at this woman and not have her heart was trying to burst out of her chest.

It felt like forever ago the last time she been this close to this woman, literally in another life but her body reacted just as same as it did before. The Evil Queen was a master of hearts, but it was Regina who stole hers, the same one that stood in front of her. The words coming out of that perfect mouth were saying otherwise but she was certain that the reign of the Queen was over.

It should have made her feel happy knowing that somehow in this 28 years the queen managed to win her battle with the darkness inside herself but no, realizing that only drove her wild with madness because she wasn't there to see it, to help the woman she love in that path. Regardless she was here now and she wouldn't waste this chance.

That night turned out to be one of the best ones she had in a long time, the freedom she found in her friends and the safety she felt around Regina made her feel like she belonged there somehow, as if there, with them was where she was supposed to be. They drove all around the little town causing mischief wherever they parked and their last destination had been the mayor's vault. Cruella and Ursula couldn't take their hands and mouths off each other and soon they asked Maleficent to take them to the cabin "Our night is far from over, darlin" was the last thing to leave Cruella's lips before despairing in a cloud of silver smoke leaving the two old lovers alone.

"I must admit, even I wasn't expecting that."

Maleficent's dark chuckle could be heard through all the cold stone walls and the beautiful smile her queen let loose because of it was too much for her inebriated mind. "We're lucky they made their leave before the real action started. Let's just say Ursula can get really creative with those tentacles of hers."

"Oh, I can only imagine all the things she could use it for. Come on." Regina said while leading the way through a hallway with many exits and of course, mirrors. Her little apprentice's obsession with the reflective surfaces always intrigued her, she could never figure it out why the woman surrounded herself with them but she never voiced her curiosity about the subject, maybe because deep down she knew she wouldn't like the answer to that. "How large is this place?"

"Its almost large enough to fit my rage." She answered with a smirk and wink receiving a scoff from the dragon. "It's nothing like my castle was but it's big enough. I come here to forget things and unwind, it helps. Sometimes."

They stopped in front of a mirror and with a click underneath it the wall became a door to a dark room. Darkness that soon fade away with the white light coming from a object hanging from the ceiling, something Cruella told her it's called a lamp, and it isn't powered by fire. What an impressive little thing.

"I haven't seen your eyes shine with curiosity like that for a long time, should have imagined you would love electricity."

Getting comfortable in the red couch by corner Maleficent raised her glass and watched as Regina crossed the room to get another bottle for her. The queen walked back to her like a predator pursuits it's prey and the sorcerer could do nothing but give the woman her whole attention. When the younger one finally sat by her side she crossed her legs and supported her weight in one arm, extending the other one that was holding her cup waiting for it to be filled. "I'm actually starting to like this realm, it's not as beautiful as our home land but it has it's charms, this electricity is definitely something to be intrigued about."

"Yes, that is one of the reasons why I prefer to stay here."

"What are the others?" She asked taking a sip of her drink and watching Regina doing the same before answering.

"It's easier to forget your demons when you don't have to live in a place where you suffered the most. That land is filled with bad memories and scars I rather gone and forgotten. It's not as if I haven't been hurt in here or that I can forget all of that pain, after all misery has always been a close friend of mine. Is just far away from those lands and that castle, the pain seems smaller. It's not gone, no. And I don't believe it ever will be, but it's easier to live with it here." During the speech all Maleficent wanted was to look into those dark orbs but never once did Regina looked at her, she knew it was because she didn't want to show how affected she truly was. Apparently not even three decades and a child was enough to bring down all her walls, she was calmer and smoother around the edges but old wounds are hard to heal and they always leave marks. "And also indoor plumbing, that is definitely the main reason." Her queen continued after a pause, a dark chuckle and a suggestive lift of her eyebrow was soon to follow and suddenly she was back to a time when everything was easier between them, a time when her little apprentice as still fighting the darkness and the despair that was building inside her heart, a time when the woman was still hers to love without restrains.

Noticing the shift in the air the older woman moved to an easier topic and they spend the next hour reminiscing about their craziest escapades and for some reason they ended up talking about Henry. Her son was still and probably will always be a hard subject for Regina, especially around the time he started pulling away from her and claiming she wasn't his real mother. But even with all that pain she still felt comfortable enough to share, that was the problem with being near Maleficent, she always made the queen feel safe and talking with her was just natural. There was no pushing, no awkward silence, no fear of being judged and laughed at. No, when they were like this, just the two of them, close and lost in each other's eyes, there was just trust and even if none of them was ever brave enough to say it, love.

With every word pouring out of her little queen's mouth Maleficent became even more aware of how much the woman truly loved the child. Tales of chubby cheeks and messy brown curls brought tears in her eyes, both for the shine in her lover's one and for the missed opportunity she had. It could have been them, their love, their child, their life but things got in their way, they got in their way and they lost it.

Now, her baby girl was somewhere in this land and she didn't even know if she was fine. Has life treated her like she deserved? Has she found someone to take care of her? Does she wasn't wanted? Does she hates her for it? Too many unanswered questions, too many doubts and fears and she doesn't even know where to start. Well, she does actually. She is quite aware that first of all she needs to tell Regina the truth, she have to tell her that her daughter is also hers. But the real question is, how?

Blinking away her thoughts and focusing on where she is and who she is with Maleficent can't stop her mind from wandering again, only this time by the perfection that is sitting right in front of her. It has been so long since she last saw Regina this relaxed and carefree so she takes it all in, from that true smile that lightens her soul, those red inviting lips that stole her attention since day one, the little wrinkles in her eyes that makes her even more beautiful, and most of all the thing that makes her breath hitch every damned time, her eyes.

So caught up in everything that is Regina Mills she didn't even realized her body moving closer to the woman she loves in its own accord, her fingers tracing the side of her nape and tangling themselves in soft dark hair. The kiss was inevitable, the Queen's body colliding with hers and molding perfectly to her frame, smooth and heated hands exploring her flash and finally, she was complete again.

Things escalated quickly and when she felt the pull of Regina's magic transporting them elsewhere all she could do was let her body be taken. She thought she would never have this again, would never have her again and being wrong never felt so good. It was like the dreams she had during the curse days, remembering a time without hate and anger, a time when all that mattered was them and the feelings they shared only much better because this time it was real. Right now they were actually together once more.

Cold satin sheets beneath her broke the spell of her little apprentice's lips on her burning skin and with glace she realized they must be in her bedroom. Good, because tonight she is going to take her time and cherish her, kiss every bit of skin and love every part of her soul.

Yes, it was a good night, a perfect one. The kind that brings tears to your eyes when you think that it may never happen again and that is why she never gave in to sleep. Why would she when the view she had was so unique? Nothing would compare to the sunlight illuminating Regina's naked body, to her warm breath hitting her neck and the way that little body would just fit perfectly in her embrace.

It was foolish of her to think that it was all solved because nothing is ever easy to her, to neither of them. But this time she won't give up, she will fight like a true dragon, she will fix this mess they got themselves into, starting with finding their daughter.


End file.
